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Anyone driving in Texas should beware. The Texas Highway Patrol now has a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody pumping out 1,080 hp.

The car was awarded to the Texas Department of Public Safety, which encompasses the Highway Patrol, by a judge, according to a Facebook post by the agency. It seems the Hellcat was once the property of a criminal suspect.

Texas Highway Patrol Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat

“The 1,080 hp Dodge Hellcat went from evading law enforcement in Harris Co. to now catching criminals wherever it roams in Texas,” the post reads.

The four-digit horsepower output quoted by the cops also indicates the Hellcat has been modified. Recall that the Hellcat’s 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 initially produced 707 hp (and 650 lb-ft of torque) from the factory. For the 2019 model year, it got a boost to 717 hp and 656 lb-ft of torque for the standard version, and 797 hp and 707 lb-ft of torque for the Hellcat Redeye version.

Texas Highway Patrol Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat

This isn’t the first time cops have enlisted a Challenger. The Florida Highway Patrol unveiled a Challenger police car in 2019, although that was based on the naturally aspirated 5.7-liter V-8 R/T model rated at 372 hp. The Challenger’s four-door Charger sibling has also become a staple of police fleets.

The Challenger and Charger are going away after the 2023 model year. Dodge is sending them off with a series of seven Last Call models, after which it will shift focus to electrified cars. Dodge’s first EV, a performance car previewed by the Charger Daytona SRT concept, is scheduled to arrive in 2024. When it does, maybe it will be pressed into police service as well.

This article was originally published by Motor Authority, an editorial partner of ClassicCars.com.

As far as tri-five Chevys go, the two-door hardtop models steal most of the limelight in the collector community. But there is something special and unique to be said about a four-door hardtop, especially when it’s done up professionally with a fully documented restoration and a stack of records.

The Pick of the Day is a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Brandon, Mississippi. (Click the link to view the listing)

1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

“Always garage-kept and carefully maintained,” the listing states. “We have a stack of records back to 1974. In 2005 it underwent a restoration with all-new paint in the original Larkspur Blue; new chrome and trim pieces were added.” A display board showing a photographic chronology of the restoration process is stored in the trunk and accompanies the sale.

1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

The Bel Air name first appeared as a trim level on two-door hardtops in the Chevrolet model lineup in 1950, named after a wealthy neighborhood in Los Angeles. The nameplate transitioned to become a standalone model in 1953 and was positioned at the upper end of the Chevrolet hierarchy.

1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

A second generation launched in 1955 and brought with it significant changes to design and engineering; exterior lines incorporated more shoebox-style characteristics as opposed to rounded fenders. Updates for 1956 and 1957 evolved the new look, and in 1957, Bel Air models received the iconic large tailfins and a “twin rocket” hood design. In all, six different body styles were offered, including variations of two-door and four-door hardtops, sedans, convertibles, and station wagons.

1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

This Bel Air comes in the four-door hardtop variety and received some additional styling flair courtesy of fender skirts and a continental kit mounted at the rear. Momentum is derived from a 283cid V8 that is fed by a Holley four-barrel carburetor and mated to a rebuilt Powerglide automatic transmission. The seller states that the car runs smoothly.

283cid V8

“The car is show-ready and is a great driver. Ready for cruising the coast this year,” the listing says.

Best of all, this Bel Air comes as a package deal with lots of supporting memorabilia, including a baseball cap, a jacket, a tool kit, the aforementioned restoration documentation, awards, a shop manual, and two wide whitewall spare tires (one in the trunk and one inside the continental kit).

The seller is asking $34,900 or best offer for this unique hardtop and all of the above items.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

Among C2 Corvettes, the 1963 Split-window is the most iconic, but almost everyone wants a 427 ’67. That was the year that the 435-horsepower L71 made its debut, as well as the L89 aluminum-head option and the race-inspired L88. For those reasons, the 1967 Corvette arguably is the ultimate incarnation of Chevrolet’s sports car.

One of those 1967 Corvettes is currently featured on AutoHunter, the online auction platform driven by ClassicCars.com. This convertible has had two prior Ohio owners and is powered by a solid-lifter 427 with tri-carb induction backed by a close-ratio four-speed manual transmission. Features include transistorized ignition, F41 suspension, original exhausts with sidepipes, and AM/FM radio. Refinished in the original shade of green with white “Stinger” and a white convertible top, this C2 Corvette is available now from the selling dealer with the original accessory hardtop, factory documentation plus restoration photos, inspection report from Corvette expert Pancho Thompson and a clear Ohio title.

1967 Chevrolet Corvette convertible

The exterior has been refinished in the original Goodwood Green. Features include white convertible top with green accessory hardtop, driver-side mirror and newer rocker moldings. According to the Pancho Thompson inspection report, the chrome, taillights and bumpers have also been replaced.

1967 Chevrolet Corvette convertible

A set of silver Rallye wheels, with the correct shallow center caps and stainless-steel trim rings, is wrapped in new Firestone Super Sports 7.75 x 15 redline bias-ply tires.

1967 Chevrolet Corvette convertible

The bucket seats are upholstered in black vinyl and are complemented by black door panels, carpeting and rubber floor mats. Other features include wooden three-spoke steering wheel with manual steering. According to the Pancho Thompson inspection report, the seat covers, door panels, dash pad and carpeting are original.

1967 Chevrolet Corvette convertible

A 160-mph speedometer, 7K-rpm tachometer, gauges for the fuel level, oil pressure, coolant temperature and voltage, and inoperative clock are located ahead of the driver. The odometer reads 26K miles, which the selling dealer believes to be accurate.

L71 big-block V8

Power is provided by a 435-horsepower L71 big-block backed by a Muncie M21 four-speed manual transmission, both numbers-matching. Features include newer orange paint on the engine block and valve covers, aluminum intake, three two-barrel carburetors, reproduction chrome air cleaner, and chrome distributor cover. The selling dealer notes that the car was serviced, inspected and filled with new fluids in the winter of 2021.

1967 Chevrolet Corvette convertible

This Corvette was factory-equipped with four-wheel independent suspension and the optional F41 “special front and rear suspension.” The numbers-matching Positraction rear end is equipped with 3.70 gears. Braking is provided by manual discs on all four corners.

1967 Chevrolet Corvette convertible

The selling dealer will include the Protect-O-Plate, build sheet off the fuel tank, and several original parts including bumpers, chrome trim, taillights, rocker moldings and side-exit exhaust covers.

This 1967 Corvette convertible’s auction ends on Thursday, October 13, 2022, at 12:20 p.m. (PDT)

Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and photo gallery.

We attended this years Petrolheadonism Live on the second day, Sunday 25th September. This was the second running of this event (the first Petrolheadonism Live taking place in 2021), and it was a truly unique car show like no other. This show was loud, different, engaging and lots of well known car personalities in attendance, such as Richard Rawlings (Gas Monkey Garage), Helen Stanley (Artist & Presenter specialising in car culture), Shmee150 (You Tuber), Andy C (You Tuber) and many more.

Petrolheadonism Live 2022

Having never attended this event before I was expecting this car show to be all about supercars. How wrong I was. This show is about anything to do with cars, and what a variety of cars were on show. There were supercars, classic cars, hot rods, American muscle cars and a lot of custom cars. You can see all of our photos from the show here.

1950 BUick Sedanette Special

This show is a right mix and it’s 100% worth coming to this event, assuming it continues every year, and we hope it does. It’s a show that will be on our must attend.  This years Petrolheadonism Live was a great day out.  There was loads on, and this car show doesn’t cost a lot of money compared to a lot of car shows these days that seem to all cost £50 plus, this car show was £20 for one day, £30 for the weekend if you were showing a car as I was.  If you were just an attendee 1 day entry £25 for Adults, £12.50 (3-14 year olds), or 2 day entry £39.50 for Adults, £16 (3-14 year olds). Excellent value and I hope the organisers continue to focus on good value rather than profiteering like some other car shows (mentioning no names).

The show was staged at Knebworth House, which I’d never visited before.  What a beautiful and unique looking building, I’d say beautiful, with lots of Gothic features including gargoyles (cool).  A very large estate, this stately home is set in 250 acres of rolling Hertfordshire countryside, Knebworth House is one of England’s most colourful stately homes. It took me a good 5 to 10 minutes driving slowly (of course) from the front gate to get to the house. There seems to be lots to do here at Knebworth House for families and people that love historic architecture as I do.

Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, UK

Knebworth House is a Grade II listed building. Its gardens are also listed Grade II on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. In its surrounding park is the medieval St. Mary’s Church and the Lytton family mausoleum. The home of the Lytton family since 1490. Henry Lytton-Cobbold lives at the house with his family. After a career in the film industry in Los Angeles, he lets production companies to film on location in the house and gardens. The grounds include tourist attractions such as an adventure playground and dinosaur park and host various events including classic car rallies.

Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, UK

Anyway back to Petrolheadonism live.

You can see our top 10 cars from the show here.

There were lots of car clubs in attendance. Different to many shows, was the focus on custom cars, modified cars, hot rods. Some of are favourites cars of the modified variety I highlight below.

Petrolheadonism Live 2022
Petrolheadonism Live 2022
1952 Chevrolet 3100 Pickup
Mercury Park Lane
Willy Car

So many more cars that I could have posted above, given the volume of cool cars on show. Respect to all the owners, lovely cars, your pride and joy is admired by this car fan. Sorry if I did not feature you car. Bravo to all those that took part.

There was a lot going on during the day, with a live stage, and throughout the day different guests were interviewed, cars were paraded, and award given. There were plenty of companies there selling their services, products, merchandise, and of course I bought a product or two.

I’m now looking forward to the show in 2023 and how will things develop?

Make sure that you are subscribed to our newsletter (see below link) or following us on social media (@mycarheaven) to be updated of our competitions and more. Recent competitions have included winning tickets to Silverstone Classic to Concours of Elegance and to Petrolheadonism Live and you can be in with a chance of winning tickets to the NEC Classic Motor Show HERE.

See you around.

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The post Our review of wonderful Petrolheadonism Live 2022 appeared first on My Car Heaven.

Nothing short of a global pandemic or a hurricane can stop Meldon Van Riper Stultz III (best known to everyone as “Mel”) from throwing one of the coolest hot rod parties there is, but those things can and do occasionally happen. The news broke Friday morning, as I was headed down to get reacquainted with the gow job and hot iron community: Government officials, expecting dangerous storm surge from Hurricane Ian or its remnants, said nobody could be on the beach at Wildwood, New Jersey, on October 1, 2022. Only an hour away in the Hemmings van, I kept going.

Pit Entrance

The pits were supposed to be full of race cars Friday afternoon, but they were packed up and many were already gone when Hemmings got to town. Immutable word from The Authorities had closed the beaches during the time set aside for racing.Photo by David Conwill

The party was still there, but it was indoors and there were very few cars. Plenty of great people, though, all eager to talk about what they had brought, what they wanted to bring, what they might build for a future event, and more. It was a productive time for Hemmings in a strategic sense, as we start to plumb the depths of those who use ‘40s tech to build ‘20s and ‘30s cars. The machines that run on the beach these days are an extension of the road-going versions, and rarely licensed and insured. Recent, unrelated events in Wildwood have increased policing on such matters and nixed the previous cruising. A lot of cool stuff was glimpsed under tarps, but between official disapproval and windy, rainy weather that set in early on Friday, very few cars were actually out and about.

Sassafras is a streetable TROG veteran

One of the few cars to venture out into the elements was this retired TROG veteran and one-time Hemmings feature car, The Sassafras. Owner Kevin Carlson runs the Model B-powered T/A hybrid on the street these days, complete with license and registration.Photo by David Conwill

Mel’s not one to let people down, however. There’s no official word on what will happen for the folks who were going to be there. Rumors abound about replacement dates, alternate events, and the like—but repeating them’s no help. I’ve reached out to the TROG team and are still awaiting comment. When Mel and the Oilers give an official announcement on the next East Coast outlet for all that retro-speed energy, we’ll let you know.

Neon Lit Friday Night

Wildwood isn’t the first or only home of TROG, but the neon-lit evenings were always one of the highlights of the event. Festivities were decidedly muted Friday night, but every here and there cool spectator cars, like this flamed ’56 Oldsmobile 88, could be glimpsed.Photo by David Conwill

One certainty, at least, is that another TROG event is happening soon: December 9-10 at historic Flabob Airstrip in Jurupa Valley, California. That will be 1/8-mile drags on a runway, rather than a beach. Airstrips and car events can make excellent bedfellows and we wish TROG California Drag Racing the best of luck.

NAS Wildwood Lockheed T33

NAS Wildwood is a World War II-era facility now used as a general-aviation airport and museum. Since the storm was already intensifying, there wasn’t much going on (besides breakfast at the Flight Deck Diner), but the outdoor displays were worth checking out.Photo by David Conwill

King Midget club members still don’t know all there is to know about the prototype fiberglass roadster that Midget Motors intended to build. How did the tiny Athens-based company plan to power the car? Was it ever meant to have a top? What exactly caused its demise? Now that club president Lee Seats has the prototype in his garage in anticipation of a full restoration and subsequent public display, perhaps some answers will soon come to light.

“All I know is that Midget Motors could’ve built it, but it would have been difficult,” Seats says.

Indeed. Chronically underfunded Midget Motors—a venture started by Claud Dry and Dale Orcutt in 1946—might’ve at one point been the sixth-largest carmaker in the United States, but ran on an infinitesimal budget compared to larger carmakers. Company headquarters was a small building next to Dry’s house, and research and development essentially consisted of the time the partners spent reading the latest issue of Popular Mechanics.

That’s not to say they didn’t meet with some measure of success. The King Midget Model 2 and Model 3 kept the company going well into the Sixties and the company was even able to make some acquisitions, mostly minibike and scooter companies. While the Midget Motors microcar lineup remained fairly static and uninspiring with cars almost no larger than the two occupants that could fit in them—a rarity in the postwar American economy that demanded ever bigger, more powerful, and flashier cars—Dry and Orcutt at one point aspired to build something a little bigger, a little sleeker, and a little faster.

According to Bob Vasholtz, a King Midget historian who has written several books on the cars, just as demand for the Model 2 started to wane toward the mid-Fifties, Orcutt in particular seemed taken with the idea of creating King Midget bodies out of fiberglass. “Fiberglass construction was not capital intensive and small-shop oriented,” Vasholtz writes in “Midget Motors: Blueprint for American Microcars,” thus “the product and process seemed tailored to Midget Motors’ volume and needs.” Besides, fiberglass promised an opportunity to both cut some weight and design a body with more complex shapes than the steel- and aluminum-bodied Model 2 and Model 3’s bodies without springing for more expensive tooling.

King Midget fiberglass prototype
Photo courtesy Lee Seats

Orcutt then proceeded to shape a body model out of clay, seeking input from his workers. Once he finalized the design—incorporating a bit of contemporary Ford in the rear, Jaguar XK120 along the sides and perhaps some Crosley Super Sport in the front—he took some molds from the clay model and sent them to a still-unknown fiberglass shop somewhere in Michigan to have several prototype bodies laid up.

In the meantime, Orcutt set about modifying a 1952 Model 2 chassis for the new car. The front and rear suspension remained unaltered, as did a section of the frame, but Orcutt modified the rest with wider perimeter rails to better fit the envelope styling of the new body and to get the passengers sitting lower in the car.

King Midget fiberglass prototype
Photo courtesy Lee Seats

He also reportedly considered replacing the Model 2’s single-cylinder 6hp Wisconsin engine with something a little peppier, Vasholtz writes. Orcutt may have experimented with a Crosley overhead-camshaft four-cylinder engine, but as Vasholtz writes in “King Midget: the Story of America’s Smallest Dream Car,” Orcutt also intended to design and build his own engine, an opposed four-cylinder with overhead camshafts and a fabricated block similar to Crosley’s CoBra engine. Apparently, he intended to use tooling obtained in one of the scooter company purchases—likely Wyse-Cycle—but if Orcutt ever did succeed in assembling such a motor, neither Vasholtz or Seats believe it ever ran. Orcutt may have also intended to develop a new three-speed transmission for the car, though that, too, never made its way into the prototype.

“It was a tall order,” Vasholtz says. “Their eyes were definitely bigger than their tummies.”

Sometime in 1955, the batch of half a dozen or so fiberglass bodies arrived, and Orcutt soon discovered they required extensive reinforcing, including subframes for the doors and windshield to attach to. According to Vasholtz, the body quickly became too heavy for the chassis and Wisconsin single-cylinder and proved more labor intensive and thus more costly than the stamped-steel bodies Midget Motors was used to producing.

King Midget fiberglass prototype
Photo courtesy Lee Seats

However, Seats, who’s spent some time already with the body in his basement restoration workshop in Bristol, Tennessee, believes that’s not exactly why Midget Motors stopped development on the project. “The Model 3’s body is made up of three sheets of steel, and I can’t pick it up by myself,” he says. “But this body, I can pick it up myself no problem.”

While the cost of preparing the body may have indeed been a significant factor, Seats points instead to the fact that the fiberglass shop burned down shortly after delivering the bodies, taking the King Midget prototype’s mold—and the costs associated with the mold’s development—with it.

Whatever the case, Orcutt and Dry put the fiberglass car project on hold and decided to update the Model 2 as a stopgap measure until they could return to the prototype. The stopgap car became the Model 3, which Midget Motors introduced in 1957 and which became perhaps the most recognizable of the King Midgets. Meanwhile, the prototype—fitted with a 1956 Wisconsin engine—went on to serve as a demonstrator for Dry’s secretary to drive and then as a daily driver for one of the employees at the Midget Motors plant. When it became evident the fiberglass car would never happen, Midget Motors sold the other bodies through its mail-order catalog, with at least one still in existence.

King Midget fiberglass prototype
Photo courtesy Lee Seats

That employee who dove the prototype later sold it to a local farmer, who stashed it in a barn somewhere near Athens for the next 20 years or so, Vasholtz says. King Midget enthusiast Gordon Harvey eventually bought the prototype from the farmer and kept it in Florida for some time before selling it to fellow enthusiast Gary Guy, who similarly stored it in Arizona without a restoration commencing.

Seats, in turn, obtained the prototype this summer and has already started to document it for restoration. Unfortunately, the years and the cross-country trips haven’t been kind to it—the frame collapsed during its most recent move, and the gelcoat on the body started to bake off during its time in Arizona—so he’s had to focus on stabilization and repair before he can proceed to the actual restoration of the prototype.

King Midget fiberglass prototype

King Midget fiberglass prototype

King Midget fiberglass prototype

King Midget fiberglass prototype

King Midget fiberglass prototype

King Midget fiberglass prototype

King Midget fiberglass prototype

Once completed, the prototype will be showcased in the closest thing the International King Midget Car Club has to a museum, a permanent display in the Market on State, a mall on the east side of Athens. The display, formerly housed in the Athens County Historical Society and Museum, currently features one example of every King Midget model, including the Junior and the Super Cycle, along with the last built Model 3 and the only Model 4 prototype. Vasholtz says that after the fiberglass car is added, the only thing that’ll really be missing from the King Midget timeline would be the lone remaining Model 2 prototype.

As for when the prototype will be finished, “don’t hold your breath,” Vasholtz says, “but Lee will get it done.”

Oldsmobile punched out more than 300,000 Cutlasses in 1975 en route to making its intermediate the best-selling automobile in America. At the more exclusive and sporty end of this mass-production milestone sat the 1975 Hurst/Olds.

The ’75 edition had a few interesting accomplishments on its resume: it was the most prolifically produced Hurst/Olds to date with 2,535 copies built; it was the last run of the Colonnade Hurst/Olds; it was the last Hurst/Olds offered with the Oldsmobile 455; and it was a T-top pioneer with its Hurst/ Hatch roof.

If you can find one of these relatively scarce cars today, you can expect to pay more than $20,000 for one in good condition. Values range between $8,000 and $12,000 on the low end to between $30,000 and $40,000 on the high end. Over the past three years, Hemmings.com has recorded an average asking price of $27,000. The lowest asking price to date, in that same period, was $16,000, while the highest was $40,000.

The ’75 Hurst/Olds wasn’t an inexpensive car in its day. It was based on the Cutlass Supreme two-door coupe, which had a starting price of $4,047. Hurst/Olds buyers could choose between the 170-hp L-34 “W-25” 350 V-8 or the L-74 190-hp “W-30” 455 V-8. Both came topped with a Rochester Quadrajet four-barrel carburetor and both were paired with automatic transmissions. A set of deep rear gears would’ve added some punch, but 2.56:1 cogs were standard issue and the only options were 2.73:1 or 3.08:1. An Anti-Spin limited-slip differential was optional. The color palette was limited to either white or black and, inside, swiveling bucket seats with reversible cushions and a console were standard.

Color bar graph depicting the value of a 1975 Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds from 2006 to 2022.

The Hurst/Olds transformation happened at Hurst’s Specialty Vehicle Division facility in Brighton, Michigan, and added $1,095 to the sticker. (To put that in context, the 442 package cost $128 in 1975.) For the extra outlay, the customer got the Hurst/Hatch roof with smoked glass panels, a padded vinyl top in either black or white, gold striping, Hurst/Olds emblems, and a Hurst Dual-Gate shifter. A Hurst digital tachometer was also offered as an option and was installed on the center console.

Values of Colonnade-edition GM performance cars have always trailed their 1960s and early ’70s namesakes. They’re an acquired taste, but excellent cars to own and drive: they’re easy to work on, easy to maintain, and plenty comfortable. Restoration costs can exceed the value of a car if you’re not careful and all parts aren’t as readily available as they are for other GM intermediates. The Hurst/Olds is among the most desirable of these coupes however, and there’s plenty to like about the ’75. While values will likely remain stable for the foreseeable future, these cars are uncommon enough to enjoy a devoted following for years to come.